Mascherano Says He’s Leaving Liverpool, Mail Says: Roundup

July 27 (Bloomberg) -- The following is a roundup of soccer
stories from U.K. newspapers, with clickable links to the Web.

Leaving Liverpool

Liverpool midfielder Javier Mascherano has told new manager
Roy Hodgson that he’s leaving the club, with Inter Milan ready
to bid on the Argentina captain, the Daily Mail said.

Former Reds manager Rafael Benitez, now in charge at
European champion Inter, is preparing a 25 million-pound ($39
million) offer, the Mail said.

Five Weeks

Jonathan Woodgate has five weeks earn a place in the
Tottenham squad or face career limbo under new Premier League
rules, the Daily Express said.

Clubs must name their 25-man squad on Aug. 31 and cannot
change it until the transfer period opens Jan. 1, according to
the new regulations. Spurs manager Harry Redknapp won’t hold a
place for the oft-injured Woodgate in hope he gets fit in a few
months, the Express said.

Merry-Go-Round

Mario Balotelli’s reported arrival at Manchester City may
spark a series of moves as the club gets in line with the new
squad rules, the Daily Mirror said.

City must release up to a dozen players to reach the 25-man
limit, with eight required to fit the criteria of three years’
training in England before they turned 21, the Mirror said.
Emmanuel Adebayor could be one of the first to go, with City
ready to send him on loan to Juventus after just one season, the
newspaper said.

Parker Bid

Tottenham wants to sign West Ham’s Scott Parker, but the
east London club wants a 15 million-pound fee that doubles the
value that Spurs have placed on the midfielder, the Daily Mirror
said.

Harry Redknapp wants Parker before his team’s Champions
League qualifying games next month and would be given only 8
million pounds to complete the signing, the Mirror said.

Back to Spain?

Arsenal goalkeeper Manuel Almunia is wanted by Spanish club
Osasuna, a move which may jump-start a move for Fulham’s Mark
Schwarzer, the Mail said.

Almunia, who has also attracted attention from Atletico
Madrid, hasn’t been told that manager Arsene Wenger is ready to
replace him, the Mail said. Arsenal had an initial 2 million-pound offer for Schwarzer rejected last month, the newspaper
said.

World Cup Regret

Manchester United midfielder Paul Scholes regrets snubbing
an offer to play for England at the World Cup, the Mail said.

Scholes, 35, quit international soccer about six years ago.
He was asked by Franco Baldini, the right-hand man of England
manager Fabio Capello, to rejoin the squad a day before it was
announced.

“It wasn’t until a week before the tournament when you
start seeing all the build-up and I thought maybe I’d made the
wrong decision,” Scholes was quoted as saying by the Mail.